Oscars 2025: Everything you need to know about the 97th Academy Awards​on February 27, 2025 at 5:27 am

LOS ANGELES — The 2025 Oscars are almost here!

After devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles, the 97th Academy Awards are going forward.

Like the Grammys and other awards shows this year, the ceremony will be transformed by the fires and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pledged to help its members and the broader film community recover.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s show, including how to and where to watch the Oscars.

When are the Oscars?

The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The Oscars pre-show starts at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT.

The show, which will be broadcast on ABC, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Go here for a full look at how you can watch all the Oscars-related programming, including Robin Roberts’ “20/20” primetime special, the “Live with Kelly and Mark” fan favorite show, and more.

Are the Oscars streaming?

The 2025 Oscars will be televised on ABC in more than 200 territories worldwide.

For the first time ever, the ceremony will also stream live on Hulu.

If you authenticate with your provider, the Oscars can also be viewed on ABC.com.

Who is nominated at the 2025 Oscars?

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” is the top-nominated film of the year, with 13 total nominations. Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” and Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” follow closely behind with 10 nominations each.

James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” and Edward Berger’s “Conclave” round out the top-nominated films with eight nods apiece.

The films battling it out for the coveted best picture Oscar include “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Pérez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance” and “Wicked.”

Read more about the potential historic moments to keep an eye out for here.

Check out a guide to the best actor race here and best actress race here.

Who is hosting the 2025 Oscars?

Conan O’Brien is the host for the 2025 Oscars, marking the comedian and talk show host’s first time hosting the show.

“We polled America. I spent a lot of my own money polling Americans and saying, ‘Would you like to see Conan O’Brien sing and dance?’ Shocking response,” O’Brien told ABC News in January. “People don’t want it, which means they’ll probably try and do it. I like to be an irritant.”

O’Brien joked that his hosting the Oscars was a result of being in an era of his life where he says “yes” a lot.

“I’m just saying yes to things that I wouldn’t have done before. I’m a black belt in karate now. I’m a licensed neurosurgeon. I mean, there are all these things I’m doing now that I didn’t think I would ever do before,” he said.

Nick Offerman will serve as the announcer for this year’s ceremony.

Who is presenting at the 2025 Oscars?

As has become tradition at the 2025 Oscars, last year’s acting winners will be back this year as presenters. This means Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph will be returning to the Oscars stage.

Other stars who will be presenting are, in alphabetical order: Joe Alwyn, Ana de Armas, Halle Berry, Sterling K. Brown, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Goldie Hawn, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Connie Nielsen, Amy Poehler, June Squibb, Ben Stiller, Oprah Winfrey and Bowen Yang.

Who is performing at the 2025 Oscars?

It was announced on Feb. 24 that “Wicked” co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande would take to the stage at the 2025 Oscars.

Additional performers include Doja Cat, Lisa of Blackpink, Queen Latifah and Raye, with the creative team behind the ceremony teasing “showstopping performances celebrating the filmmaking community and some of its legends.”

It was also revealed that the ceremony will feature a special performance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, with additional talent to be announced in the days leading up to the ceremony.

A letter sent to academy members on Jan. 22 revealed that this year’s show would forgo the usual live performances of the best original song nominees as it has in years past.

Instead, the academy said the presentation will be focused on the songwriters and “celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life” to “uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.”

At the time, the academy also promised “powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future.”

How have the wildfires altered the show?

The wildfires that consumed large parts of Los Angeles in early January led some to call for the cancellation of the Academy Awards. The academy twice postponed the announcement of nominations but never pushed the March 2 date of the ceremony. Academy leaders have argued the show must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience.

Organizers have vowed this year’s awards will “celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”

Still, the fires have curtailed much of the usual frothiness of Hollywood’s awards season. The film academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon.

For many involved in the Oscars, the fires have been felt acutely. O’Brien’s Pacific Palisades home survived but his family has been unable to go back to it. O’Brien’s assistant and podcast co-host Sona Movsesian lost her home.

“I know so many people who lost their homes and I’m just, was ridiculously lucky,” O’Brien told The Associated Press. “So we want to make sure that that show reflects what’s happening and that we put a light on the right people in the right way.”

What’s nominated for best picture?

The 10 nominees for best picture are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part 2”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m Still Here”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Substance”; “Wicked”

How can I watch the Oscar-nominated films?

Some of the nominees are still in theaters, but many of this year’s Oscar nominees are streaming on various platforms. Go here to see how you can watch the best picture nominees.

Who are the favorites?

More than most years, that’s a tricky question, but a front-runner has emerged after “Anora” took the top awards at the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild. The best picture race has been seen as unusually wide open, with “Anora,” “Conclave,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown” and “Emilia Pérez” all having legitimate hopes of winning. In the acting categories, Demi Moore (“The Substance”) is favored for best actress, Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) is most likely in best actor, Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”) is the supporting actress front-runner and Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”) is the favorite for best supporting actor. None of those awards, however, is considered definite locks.

What’s the deal with ‘Emilia Pérez’?

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” a narco-musical about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery, comes in with a leading 13 nominations. The film, at one point, seemed like Netflix’s best chance yet to land the streamer its first best picture win. Its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, made history by becoming the first openly trans actor nominated for an Oscar.

But no nominee has had a rockier post-nominations Oscar campaign. After old offensive tweets by Gascón were uncovered, the actress issued an apology. The fallout, though, has badly damaged a movie that was already a divisive contender, and led Netflix to radically refocus its flagging campaign.

March 2 is Oscar Sunday! Watch the 2025 Oscars live on ABC and Hulu.

Live red carpet coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET 12:30 p.m. PT with “On The Red Carpet at the Oscars.”

Watch all the action on the red carpet live on ABC, streaming live on OnTheRedCarpet.com and on the On the Red Carpet Facebook and YouTube pages.

The 97th Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, begins at 7 p.m. ET 4 p.m. PT. and will be followed by a special preview of “American Idol.”

Disney is the parent company of Hulu and this station.

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.